Senior Class President Suspended After Tweeting About High School Sports

An eight word tweet has gotten former Heights High School Class of 2013 President Wesley Teague in hot water with his school administration.

Twitter

WSU is Wichita State University, whose football team was disbanded in 1986. The athletic department at Heights High School, which is in Wichita, Kansas, is often referred to on Twitter by the hashtag #HeightsU.

After several students complained about the Tweet the administration agreed that it was disrespectful. So they sent a letter to Teague's parents informing them their son had been suspended because he "acted to incite a disturbance." When asked to further clarify, they explained that the tweet violated school policy which forbids "bullying in any form."

In addition to the suspension, Teague won't be allowed to attend some of the school's graduation activities, although he will still be able to walk with his class. On his Twitter page he also commented that he is no longer the class president.

According to Teague the whole thing is just a giant misunderstanding. He explains that the purpose of his Tweet was merely to argue that there is no such thing as "Heights U" because the school he attends is a high school not a university, as the "U" implies. (This seems a logical enough explanation, however there was also a history of animosity between Teague and members of the athletic program.)

What do you think? Should high schools get involved with what their students are saying on their own private social media? And is there any way to interpret Teague's Tweet as "bullying"?